Abstract #4385

Hyperpolarized 129Xe MR of the Sickle Cell Disease: Preliminary Findings

Yulin Chang¹, Talissa Altes¹, Isabel M. Dregely², Stephen Ketel³, Iulian C. Ruset^2,3, Jaime F. Mata¹, F. William Hersman^2,3, John P. Mugler III¹, Kai Ruppert¹

¹Radiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA; ²Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA; ³Xemed LLC, Durham, NH, USA

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is characterized by the sickle-shaped red blood cells that obstruct capillaries. MR of hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe can distinguish Xe bound with hemoglobin from the gas-phase Xe and Xe dissolved into lung tissue. The spectrum of dissolved-phase Xe in SCD patients are compared with that of a normal subject. Xe exchange spectroscopy and Xe transfer contrast (XTC) imaging methods were also applied and compared with normal subjects.